JEDDAH: “National Economy: Challenges and Ambitions” is the theme of a major international economic conference to be opened at King Abdulaziz University here Monday. Experts from Saudi Arabia and other countries will speak at the three-day event.

Organized by the Faculty of Economics and Administration in association with the Gulf Research Center, the conference will be attended by more than 1,000 delegates including officials from the ministries of finance, education, and national economy and planning.

In a statement on the occasion, Osama Tayeb, president of KAU, said there will be speakers from 10 foreign countries including the US, Singapore, UK, Italy, France, India, Germany, Egypt and Sudan.

“The participation of prominent personalities as well as representatives of major international organizations like the International Monetary Fund reflects the importance of Saudi Arabia and its economic strength,” the president said.

He commended Hussam Al-Anqari, dean of the faculty, for making excellent preparations for the conference and selecting good topics and speakers. “Al-Anqari and his team have been working for the last one and a half years for the success of this conference,” he added.

Al-Anqari said all preparations have been for the conference, which will open at 9 p.m. on Monday and will be followed by an exhibition. “There will be three sessions of decision makers on Tuesday and Wednesday,” he said, adding that the speakers would discuss how to confront the various challenges facing the national economy.

The conference would focus on three main topics: Better utilization of economic resources; opportunities of the national economy; and the Saudi economy and the global environment.

The discussions will be centered on basic issues such as risk management, national and foreign investment, unemployment among the Saudis, inflation, education, competitiveness, enacting of laws and regulations, agriculture, tourism, economic reforms, oil and energy and small and medium enterprises.

He said a number of committees have been set up to organize the conference including those for the media, administration, logistics and protocols. The papers to be presented at the event have been translated into both Arabic and English.

The exhibition will highlight the Kingdom’s economic progress since it was established by King Abdul Aziz. Rare pictures and documents will be on display. “It aims at giving a clear picture on the development of the Saudi economy during the past 100 years,” he said.